My best friend asked me if I was still doing system tasks.

The cave Yu Sheng mentioned was located at the confluence of the current mountain range and the river. The area was densely covered with shrubs and jagged rocks. The low-lying, shady ground was covered with moss. It took them two days to reach it by flying on their swords.

"You don't know what kind of monster you encountered back then?"

Luo Hanying put her hands on her hips and said, "What the hell! Don't you know how we should deal with this?"

"Since you saw the white jade technique, how come you didn't even know you were being chased by some kind of demonic beast?"

Yu Sheng said matter-of-factly, "The white jade technique is growing there perfectly fine, of course I can see it."

I have a keen sense of danger, and I retreated a second before I even saw the monster, so of course I didn't see what kind of monster it was.

Luo Hanying: "Your divine sense..."

Yu Sheng interrupted Luo Hanying: "At that time, I was only at the Qi Refining stage, so of course I couldn't project my divine sense."

Luo Hanying had no way to deal with Yu Sheng, so she helplessly used her divine sense to observe the surrounding environment.

Ruan Chayan withdrew her divine sense and said, "There is a cave behind the vines and the boulder, but it is so dark that I can't see it clearly."

Let's go inside quickly while no one's around.

This secret realm restricts cultivation levels. No matter how high the demon beast's cultivation level is, it can't possibly exceed the Nascent Soul stage. Although the three of us have varying cultivation levels, we can still be considered elites within the sect. There's no way we won't be able to obtain the White Jade Technique.”

Even now, Ruan Chayan still had some doubts about the veracity of Yu Sheng's words: ["You believe this Yu Sheng? Do herbs really grow in this place?"]

She was always worried that they would be scammed.

Luo Hanying gave an affirmative answer: "White Jade Tree prefers cool and damp environments, and mostly grows in shady mountain streams. This place is connected to a large river, and there might be groundwater in that cave, so I'm not surprised that White Jade Tree can grow there."

Luo Hanying didn't think she had anything valuable on her, and besides, this secret realm was full of cultivators from the Shiren Sect, so there was no chance of a vicious incident like murder and robbery.

The stone tablets on their bodies are not just for show. They are either destined to receive the sect's resources without making any mistakes, or to be expelled from the Shiren Sect for making a single mistake. They certainly know the difference.

Yu Sheng was still counting on Ruan Luo's help, so he took the initiative to push aside the boulder that was blocking most of the cave entrance, revealing the entire entrance. Luo Hanying used her spirit sword to cut the tangled vines and weeds.

The three of them took out magical artifacts that could provide light, with Ruan Chayan leading the way and Luo Hanying bringing up the rear, protecting Yu Sheng, who had the lowest cultivation level, as they explored inside.

The cave was dark and damp, with the faint sound of flowing water and an indescribable odor.

Ruan Chayan changed her aura, radiating kindness and friendliness, hoping to have a peaceful meeting with the unknown species of monster. If possible, she might even gain another companion.

Sichuan pepper quietly followed at Ruan Chayan's feet. It was not very bold, and if it weren't for the fact that Ruan Chayan's request was hard to refuse, it would be lying comfortably in the spirit beast pouch right now.

Luo Hanying tried to hold it in, but couldn't help sneezing. The sound echoed in the cave. She covered the lower half of her face with her forearm and said awkwardly, "Sorry, the smell here is so strange, I really can't stand it... Ugh—!"

Because of the noise she made, Yu Sheng and Ruan Chayan turned around to look at her. Just as she was speaking, an indistinct shadow pounced on Ruan Chayan.

The peppercorns immediately emitted a crackling sound, a sharp buzzing that could only be heard by the human ear. Ruan Chayan reacted quickly, summoning her magical artifact to block it.

However, she was violently knocked back by the force. The cave was too narrow to avoid, and the three of them fell into a heap. The magical artifact in Ruan Chayan's hand even developed cracks, proving that this demon beast was quite powerful.

A dark figure with heterochromia vanished before their eyes in an instant.

"Oh no! It must be the demonic beast guarding the White Jade Technique! After it!"

Yu Sheng hurriedly stood up as the two of them did so, saying, "If it senses danger and swallows the White Jade Technique, then everything will be ruined! We've come all this way for nothing!"

The cave was too narrow to fly on swords, so the three of them immediately put on talismans and rushed into the cave. Ruan Chayan, holding a torch that needed to be activated with spiritual energy, rushed to the front: "If I'm not mistaken, they should be at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage."

As Luo Hanying followed closely behind them, she analyzed, "We couldn't see what kind of monster it was. We hadn't been able to spot it before, and even if it's fast, it can't just disappear in the blink of an eye. It must be good at hiding."

"Huajiao said that the monster has some resistance to its roar..."

Ruan Chayan looked at the suddenly open cave and said, "We're here! It's over there! It's in the bushes next to the pool!"

In the dim light, a lynx-like monster could be seen gnawing and digging at the white jade with its front paws. It let out an angry growl, trying to scare the three away.

Yu Sheng shouted urgently, "Hurry up! Hurry up! The roots of the white jade atractylodes are used in medicine! Don't let it get damaged during digging!"

Ruan Chayan took the lead, holding a spirit sword in one hand and secretly pinching a talisman in the other as she approached the demon beast, trying to force it back so as not to damage the spiritual medicine during the battle.

"I am willing to draw the sword at my waist and go straight to slay the Loulan!"

The words Luo Hanying wrote transformed into a long sword that charged towards the demon beast, assisting Ruan Chayan's attack from the side.

She has recently gained a much stronger grasp of poetry, and in addition to creating illusionary formations, she can simplify the process of transforming words into physical forms.

Of course, this was also thanks to the methods shown by other Confucian scholars when they followed her to learn poetry, and she learned a lot by drawing inferences from their examples.

The monster was agile, leaping and dodging the attacks of Ruan Chayan and Luo Hanying. It could even climb steep stone walls and use the momentum to twist and pounce on Yu Sheng, who had the lowest cultivation level.

Yu Sheng saw the monster rushing towards him and shouted for Luo Hanying to protect him. At the same time, he used a pot to cover himself and block the monster's attack.

Luo Hanying's pen flowed as if guided by a divine hand: "The flower terrace is about to bid farewell to late spring, and fallen flowers rise to dance in the swirling wind!"

A stone platform planted with various flowers appeared out of thin air beneath the monster's feet. Its feet sank into the mud and could not be pulled out. A strong wind blew, and flower petals lashed around the monster like knives, causing it some damage.

Enraged, the monster gathered its strength and spewed out a stream of silvery-white, translucent water, which immediately corroded the flowers and stone platform, turning them into mist and dissipating.

The monster leaped up, its mouth wide open, intending to get rid of the troublesome Luo Hanying first.

Luo Hanying's close combat skills were inferior to Ruan Chayan's. When she saw the demon beast rushing towards her, she instantly activated the array plate and spirit stone in one hand and placed them in front of her.

The defensive formation barely held up, blocking the monster's leap, before shattering and the array plate cracked and became unusable.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ruan Chayan unleashed three talismans in quick succession. Vines burst from the ground to secure the monster's body. Thunder roared and flames scorched the sky. The monster, panting heavily after being hit several times, spat out streams of water to attack the two of them.

Ruan Chayan stood in front of Luo Hanying and activated her defensive magic artifact. The artifact had already been cracked by the monster's kick, and now it couldn't withstand the attack of the unknown water flow. After flashing twice, it turned into a pile of rubble.

The liquid splashed onto Ruan Luo and the other person.

Ruan Chayan hissed, and she and Luo Hanying said in unison, "Water is corrosive!"

Sichuan pepper coughed twice, then darted to Ruan Chayan's feet, hugged her leg, tugged at her clothes, and pointed to its own throat with its little paws, indicating that it couldn't help.

It shouted for a long time but had almost no effect on the monster; it simply couldn't shout anymore.